mcquilkin



J. H. MQQUILKIN.

Banjo.

No. 226,621. Patented April 20,1880.

E E F E UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

. BANJO.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 226,621, dated April 20, 1880.

Application filed January 10, 1880.

To all whom 'it may concern: v

Be it known that I, JAMES H. hlOQUILKIN, of Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Banjos, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of my invention are to provide cheap, simple, convenient, and efficient means whereby the heads of banjos, drums, tamborines, and like musical instruments may be easily, quickly, and evenly applied to and stretched upon and adjusted by any one not skilled therein or accustomed to litand apply such heads to the hoops of said instruments;

0 and a further object is to so secure the head to the hoop as to increase the power of sound or extend the scale to a higher musical note or tone, as hereinafter more fully described and set forth; and it consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of the brackets with the hoop or body of the instrument, so as to dispense with the usual perforations of the wood to secure the brackets thereto, as heretofore, and permit said brackets to better resist the strain applied thereto in securing thehead in the desired position without marring said hoop or body in case a new head is required and it further consists in the construction of the metal ad j ustin g-hoop and attachment thereto of the screw-tln-eaded ad j usting-hooks by meansofsuitable holes or perforations formed therein to receive them, whereby the liability of said hooks to tear or injure the head when placed in contact therewith, as in those heretofore constructed, wherein the said adjusting-hooks pass over the edge of the said hoop, is fully avoided, as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, and in which my invention is fully illustrated.

Figure l is a perspective view, showing my invention as applied to a banjo-head. Fig. 25 is a vertical cross-section of a banjo-head, showing the said invention.

A represents a hoop of wood, iorn'iing the body of the instrument, over the upper edge of which is secured the elastic calf-skin head B, as usual, its outer edge being provided with a small wire hoop, O, which is a trifle larger in internal diameter than the external diameter of the wood hoop A, so as to draw the skin head B over the same, as heretofore. Now, in order to allow the said head to be adjusted and strained tight, evenly, and expeditiously, 1 apply to the lower edge of the said hoop or body A a series of hook-brackets, E, the hooked lower ends of which turn inwardly a short distance equal to the thickness of the hoop-body A, and then upward a short distance, as shown in Fig. 2. The upper ends of these brackets E are each provided with an outward-projectin g lug or car, having a small vertical hole adapted to permit the lower end or screw-threaded portion of the adjusting hooks or bolts H to pass freely and receive the adjusting screw-threaded nuts E, which have a bearing against the under side of the said projecting ears provided upon the upper ends of the brackets E, when the hooked up per ends of the adjusting-bolts H are inserted into the holes t, formed or drilled through the metal adjusting-hoop L, which is provided internally with an annular projecting rib or flange, S, which corresponds in (lltm6tGI,Wltl1 the said small wire ring or hoop, O, and has a bearing upon the edge or outer portion of the skin head 13, which is passed around the wire hoop, as heretofore.

N ow, it will be seen that when the parts are constructed and arranged as shown and above described, it a wrench or key be applied to the nuts F and turned in the right direction, the hoop L will thus be drawn downward, so as to tighten or strain the said head B as desired, and that the said hoop L covers the edge and wire hoop contained in the head B, and that the said brackets E may be adj usted at all or any desired points throughout the periphery or circumference of the wood body or hoop A.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- In combination with the body A and head B, the metallic adjusting-hoop L, provided with an internal annular projection or flange, S, and holes 17, constructed and arranged to operate with the adjusting-bolts H and brackets E, substantially in the manner described, as and for the purposes set forth.

JAMES H. MOQUILKIN.

Witnesses SYLVENUS WALKER, JOHN H. FULLER. 

